SARA & KYLE MURPHY + THE MURPHY FAMILY BAND

Award-winning mandolin and fiddle player Kyle Murphy, whose musical career began at age seven with lessons at Boulevard Music, will be joined on fiddle by sister Sara Murphy, on guitar by Aaron “Frosty” Foster, on banjo by Eli Gilbert, and on bass by Joshua Riffe to present an evening of traditional and progressive bluegrass music. Kyle currently plays with the Virginia-based band Jeff Brown and Still Lonesome, and is a graduate of the internationally-renowned Bluegrass and Country Music Program at East Tennessee State University, where he was a member of the Bluegrass Pride Band. Kyle and Sara recorded original music on his popular 2014 album Eucalyptus.

Sara Murphy is an award-winning fiddle player accomplished in bluegrass and old-time styles. She began her fiddling career at age six at Boulevard Music, and went on to study with nationally acclaimed fiddle player Richard Greene.

Aaron Foster, Eli Gilbert, and Joshua Riffe have also studied bluegrass music at East Tennessee State University and were members of the Bluegrass Pride Band. Aaron “Frosty” Foster, originally from Upstate New York, currently plays guitar and sings with the band Dreamcatcher and is set to release his debut album Opening Doors. Eli Gilbert, who currently resides in Maine, is an accomplished bluegrass and jazz banjo and guitar player and currently performs around New England with numerous bands and musicians. Joshua Riffe, from West Virginia, is a talented bass player who was also featured on Kyle’s album Eucalyptus.

This eclectic group of young acoustic musicians will be joining together to present an evening of creative bluegrass music in this homecoming performance for Kyle and Sara Murphy. Join them for their only Southern California appearance.

Opening the evening will be the Murphy Family Band playing an exciting mix of traditional and original bluegrass music. Based in Culver City the Murphy Family Band began performing for friends and neighbors in 2003. Since that time they have expanded their repertoire to include many of the bluegrass classics by artists such as Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs and The Stanley Brothers in addition to their own compositions. They have performed at festivals, coffeehouses and many other venues around Southern California. The Murphy Family Band consists of Sara Murphy on the fiddle, Kyle Murphy on the mandolin and fiddle, Jim Murphy on the guitar, Doug Davis on the bass, Paula Lane on the dobro, and Bill Knopf on the banjo.